Portrayals of Frankenstein's Birth Essay

In the story Frankenstein the monsters birth has been portrayed in various different manners. The original Mary Shelly version, the Kenneth Branagh film and the Phillip Pullman play adaptation are all fairly distinct, not only in that they are all different forms of entertainment but that the areas focused on are not all the same.

The novel, by Mary Shelly concentrates primarily on what Dr Frankenstein is feeling. A novel is able to pause what is happening half way through action, Mary Shelly is able to ponder on Frankensteins thoughts and emotions and really engage the reader to empathise. The actual birth of the Monster is something of an anti-climax. The weather outside is dull and dreary, the rain pattered dismally against the panes. There is nothing dramatic about its birth, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open

The play however, is much more focused on the build up to the birth of the monster, making it dramatic, fast-paced and scary in order to keep the audience interested and entertained. There are many sound effects such as thunder and wind, and rain furiously drumming against the windows, which contrast massively with the quite pit-pattering of rain in the novel. Props like mysterious machines add mystery as we dont know their purposes, and the body of the monster under a white sheet. Lots of lighting effects for instance lightening, sparks from the machines and darkness to add effect, make the whole stage come to life. The way in which the monster is brought to life in convenient as it is the lightening which also lights up the stage at points which are crucial to the audience to see.

The film Frankenstein, directed by Kenneth Branagh is more similar to the play than it is to the novel, in that it is dramatic, with a high climax with most of the attention on the monster. As in the play, there is lightening and rain, but there is also music. There is loud, fast orchestral music, but also slow or at times none at all, for example when Frankenstein realises what he had created, and is looking up at the creature, there is no music. His laboratory is a lot larger than described in the novel and contains much larger and imposing machines. When the monster is born it is in a large bath-tub-like container, filled with some kind of sloppy fluid. This makes it slippery for Frankenstein when he is trying to help it stand up, so he hooks it to some chains. He accidentally pulls on a leaver which hoists the monster into the air, making it look evermore imposing and tall.

Overall my favourite of these three portrayals is the original Mary Shelly novel. This is because I think that something slow paced and even a little spooky is more effective than something with big flashing lights and thunderous rain. Youre not having to keep up with anything; you can read at your own pace and really understand the characters feelings.